Sound Spirits gets Seattle back in distilling biz

In a nondescript space off 15th Ave. W., Steven Stone is busy making something that hasn’t been legally produced in Seattle since Prohibition.

Stone

After putting in a full day at Boeing, where he works as an aerospace engineer, Stone spends his evenings turning Washington state barley into vodka.

“We make it from scratch, batch by batch. It’s very labor intensive,” Stone said this week while taking a break at his Sound Spirits headquarters.

So how did a guy involved in one of the world’s most modern pursuits – making state of the art aircraft – get involved in making alcohol, which people have been doing in one form or another for thousands of years? Stone had a long interest in home brewing beer. But the idea to produce spirits came about two years ago from his friendship with Christian Krogstad, one of the owners of House Spirits, a leader in Portland’s booming craft distillery scene. Krogstad was finding success producing things like Aviation Gin.

“I said, ‘Man, that’s gotta happen here in Seattle,’” said Stone, who was in business school at the time. He wrote a business plan, found seven investors and went to work.

With help from his wife and one volunteer, Stone began working to produce barley-based vodka. Most vodka is made from wheat and potatoes, but Stone was aiming for something different. He wanted to use all local ingredients and barley, along with wheat, is one of the primary grain crops grown in Washington. Barley has a distinctive taste, Stone says, “a touch sweet,” and he’d be using the grain in the future to make whiskey.

The end result is Ebb + Flow.

“I would call it more like a sipping vodka, it does have some flavor. It would go great in a martini,” Stone said.

The production process, which Stone describes as “mind-numbingly stressful and fun at the same time,” was not without snags. That’s where Stone was able to use problem-solving skills he usually applies to making sure airplanes are stable in flight to ensure that grain became vodka.

Now he’s producing 40, six-bottle cases per month. Sound Spirits will be able to ramp up production quickly, said Stone, who added he’s gotten some interest from local bars. In addition to making whiskey in the future he says he’ll likely be producing gin in the next few months.

Stone is selling bottles of his Ebb + Flow vodka now; The official launch is the weekend of Sept. 18. Stone’s shop is open most evenings and weekends, by appointment.

Sound Spirits’ distilling operation

Sound Spirits is Seattle’s entry into the growing craft distiller movement in Washington state. In 2008 the state Legislature changed the law, making it easier for people like Stone to produce spirits. There are now about 25 operations that have been fully licensed to make spirits or that have applications pending. Spokane’s Dry Fly is the state’s largest distillery, producing about 10,000 cases each year of vodka, gin and whiskey.

Stone is a fan of Dry Fly and hopes his operation will attract attention for the Emerald City.